


How do I love thee.... Way #287

by islandsmoke



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Study, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-02
Updated: 2012-02-02
Packaged: 2020-03-08 15:26:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18897406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/islandsmoke/pseuds/islandsmoke
Summary: Remus Lupin had been his partner for seven years now. He was stubborn, wilful, generous, inventive, manipulative and, on occasion, undeniably odd, but really, a dead rat in a box placed carefully by his pot of breakfast tea on the kitchen table?





	How do I love thee.... Way #287

**Author's Note:**

> Written for lupin_snape's love/not love posting-a-day prompt-grab fest: "Since when does a dead rat in a box mean 'I love you'?"  
> Beta: Hogwarts Honey

~~~~

Severus frowned.

Remus Lupin had been his partner for seven years now. He was stubborn, wilful, generous, inventive, manipulative and, on occasion, undeniably odd, but really, a dead rat in a box placed carefully by his pot of breakfast tea on the kitchen table?

And not just any rat. Almost completely hairless, this was an exceptionally ugly rat. Not that Severus thought the oft-maligned creatures were ugly; in general, he found them to be graceful and attractive. But not this one. This specimen had many warts – most of them sprouting a few stiff, black hairs – no ears to speak of, and a short, stubby tail with a wart on the very end.

There were few absolutes in Severus Snape's life. The sun rose in the East, winter in Scotland was cold and dismal, and Remus Lupin loved him. That last one – that one had taken him years to accept. The man was an idiot: too accommodating, too soft, too forgiving, too many things that Severus was not. Things that he had always seen as weakness. But Remus _wasn't_ weak. He would bend, compromise, forgive and placate, but at his core was a spine of steel, and there were lines that could only be crossed at a person's peril. Usually, his fiercest defenses were aroused for others – he seemed to care less about himself – and his loyalty and, it seemed, his love, once given, were unshakable.

They never spoke of their feelings for each other. He had the suspicion that Remus would like to; that sometimes, especially in bed together, Remus was on the verge of saying the words that Severus dreaded to hear. Not that he didn't love Remus; in truth, his love frightened him sometimes with how fiercely it burned, but somehow he couldn't say the words aloud. Instead, the two of them expressed themselves in dozens of other ways, with the meals they cooked for each other, the plants they selected for the garden, even with how they passed the marmalade without being asked.

But this?

Severus reached out a tentative finger and touched the limp animal. It was warm. He squinted, his senses on sudden, full alert. The rodent wasn't dead, just… stunned, perhaps? He picked it up cautiously and examined it more closely.

His eyes suddenly widened, and his lips parted in a silent gasp. This wasn't just any ugly, not-dead rat in a box. This was a Peruvian hairless cave rat, a very rare species, highly prized for the number of potion ingredients they provided. And this was a female, and… pregnant? If she produced a healthy litter, the possibilities…. His mind swam, and with trembling hands, he set her carefully back in the box. This was extraordinary. How had Remus been able to acquire such a thing? It was a gift beyond measure. It was a gift –

The kitchen door opened and closed, ushering Remus in on a waft of softly-scented spring air. He leaned against the doorjamb and watched Severus with dancing eyes.

Severus swallowed. He could do this.

"Since when," he cleared his throat. "Since when does a dead – stunned – rat in a box mean _'I love you'_?"

With a laugh of pure joy, Remus swept across the room and enveloped Severus is a hug. "I _knew_ you'd understand."

Severus closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of his lover. Yes, he did understand.

~~~~


End file.
